SolidSnake wrote:What is rarely mentioned is when the Pens won the cup, Bylsma had Yeo and Fitzgerald with him. Yeo is a good coach and Fitz did a great job while he was in as an AC. Yeo and Fitzgerald never seem to get any credit for their part in the cup win, DB lovers are brag about DB having a cup but never mention Yeo's and Fitzgerald's roles. Interesting enough the team's playoff performances have got worse since Yeo and Fitzgerald have been gone.

This.

Frankly, MT, Yeo and Fitzgerald get very little credit for making the team what it was when it went to the finals in 08, and winning in 09. Yes, MT was gone in 09 but the groundwork was laid.

I'll admit I blasted Yeo when he was here, but hindsight is 20/20. He is showing in MN that he can coach. And MN has the second best PP in the league at home...

SolidSnake wrote:What is rarely mentioned is when the Pens won the cup, Bylsma had Yeo and Fitzgerald with him. Yeo is a good coach and Fitz did a great job while he was in as an AC. Yeo and Fitzgerald never seem to get any credit for their part in the cup win, DB lovers are brag about DB having a cup but never mention Yeo's and Fitzgerald's roles. Interesting enough the team's playoff performances have got worse since Yeo and Fitzgerald have been gone.

I mentioned Fitzgerald here after our demise in this past ECF. Granted, a decent chunk of the team personnel has been overturned, but the core + at least Kunitz and Dupuis has remained. The Pens haven't been the same since he left the bench.

FWIW, the team hasn't really been the same since EJ retired after the '09 Cup. Call the man and talk about the PP!

no name wrote:Let face it when this team is winning it seems like its winning on talent alone. Nothing much else going on there than the pure skill of our players shinning through. When we lose games we are shut down (like the past 3) it feels alot more like we were beaten by a team with a system implimented to take away our skill.

... i guess we all kinda knew this

I definitely don't feel like the pens were shutdown against the Flyers. If giving up those kinds of oppertunities is Berube's idea of "shutting an opponent down" than I hope he stays the Flyers coach for a long time.

The Rags game was a one-sided affair, but not necessarily the pens being "shut down," at least not in terms of what Boston did in the spring. The Pens could've been up 2 or 3-0 in the first five minutes of that game if things bounce a little differently...but that's one of the great things about hockey.

The Blues...yeah, they shut the pens down.

Yeah, agreed on the Flyers to a point. I mean the Pens had some real good chances most on the power play. But the thing is just like in the Bruins series I dont buy that the Pens could have easily scored more, could have been up a goal or two and so on even against the Rags. When watching the games fans seem to think that every close call could have turned the game - while true that can not be true for every single game that we play. Other teams come in waves and cycle, get second chances, bang home a rebound and when they are pushing they keep pushing even if the other teams gets a goal. Eventually you get one, then two. We arent unlucky most of the time (although against the Flyers Letang missed a few lay ups).

The Rags had a double deflection goal that I saw some refer to as lucky. It wasnt. The defenseman got the puck and two Rags immediately formed a line in front of the goalie. Just like the Blackhawks Cup winning goal - it was tipped out past the circles originally, got the goalie off balance after it changed direction, hit a post then banged home. That isnt luck.

My point is I have been complaining about our lack of cycle and over dependence on perimeter play for a year now. Its not about us getting the bounces, every goalie we play is hot or man we could have just gotten that one goal and things would have been different. Even the Flyers for the most part kept us outside and I dont remember many golden rebound chances.

I dont know, I have said it before when I watch other games I just feel the Pens dont have as many golden opportunities as we think. Other teams just press and pressure and cycle and create real chances. If we should have had 3 goals against the Flyers every game I see on NBC Sports should be 10 - 9.

I really hope that Orpik releases a Tell-All book after his career. I think we'd hear about how the Penguins were a bunch of babies.

Let's call a spade a spade. This team is so in their own head and so temperamental it's defies description. This team is Soff! Not physically, but mentally. Fleury seems to found a way around it thus far, but Malkin and Letang need to now.

I think the biggest problem this team has faced despite winning a cup is they've had the coaches they need in the wrong order.

DB is a good coach, but he's not the coach for this team. This team needs a Tortorella right now.

Aside from needing a better tactical coach, they need a coach who's going to light the fire under their butts! They need a Herb Brooks!

We can sit and argue if they get a player who goes to the net they'll score more, or if they got "this kind" or "that kind" of player they'd be better. THE PENS HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED!

The rest of this month will be very telling of DB's future. Not that he will get fired if it goes poorly, but if it does go poorly I think he'll begin to be under Shero's microscope for the rest of the year.

This is a very integral month for the Pens. The schedule intensifies and isn't very easy. Out of the next 10 games this month I'd say only three are games the Pens SHOULD win: Florida, Nashville and NJ.

The Pens are on a three game skid and losing ground very quickly in their division where they were once sitting pretty. Washington, NYR and Carolina are gaining ground on the Pens very quickly and the Penguins could find themselves out of playoff contention very fast.

Sure, DB will be given some slack since Martin and Scuds are injured, but it will only give him so much.

Nashville has been horrible at stopping goals since Rinne got injured. If the Pens can't score enough to win tonight it shows there's a major issue. It won't be because all of a sudden this nobody goaltender in Nashville found his game and got hot.

shmenguin wrote:i don't know of anyone who complains about clear penalties like orpik does. not only is that a quality of a baby, it's also a sign that he's not an accountable individual.

and i'm not being dramatic, i literally can't think of someone who whines that much.

My original statement about "babies" had nothing to with whining. What I mean by being a baby is letting things get to them and then pouting or playing poorly...being delicate and allowing things to bother them to the point it affects their play.

shmenguin wrote:i don't know of anyone who complains about clear penalties like orpik does. not only is that a quality of a baby, it's also a sign that he's not an accountable individual.

and i'm not being dramatic, i literally can't think of someone who whines that much.

My original statement about "babies" had nothing to with whining. What I mean by being a baby is letting things get to them and then pouting or playing poorly...being delicate and allowing things to bother them to the point it affects their play.

in that sense, i agree.

but orpik complains about 100% clear infractions he commits. with regularity. despite what you said, you still want the leaders of your team to be accountable, in general.

shmenguin wrote:i don't know of anyone who complains about clear penalties like orpik does. not only is that a quality of a baby, it's also a sign that he's not an accountable individual.

and i'm not being dramatic, i literally can't think of someone who whines that much.

My original statement about "babies" had nothing to with whining. What I mean by being a baby is letting things get to them and then pouting or playing poorly...being delicate and allowing things to bother them to the point it affects their play.

in that sense, i agree.

but orpik complains about 100% clear infractions he commits. with regularity. despite what you said, you still want the leaders of your team to be accountable, in general.

I think that's all subjective. I feel like it's more a common thing in the league now. Players seem to argue every single penalty, fans seem to boo all penalties as if their team couldn't have possibly committed one and all team leaders seem to argue.

I feel like the league has become like elementary school gym class where everyone is ratting on each other and pointing fingers. Look at the crease the past few years. If a player stops in front of the opposing goalie when play was whistled dead, the players around them go after them. it's ridiculous.

I thought there was an interesting exchange on the bench with Jokinen and Bylsma last game. Bylsma was telling him something and Jokinen just looked annoyed at what he was saying. He had a "what is this guy talking about?" look on his face. Then again, I may have read it wrong, just wondering if anyone else caught that.